Former state Rep. Carl E. Moses passes away: Carl E. Moses, former state representative for the Aleutians and Alaska Peninsula, has passed away, according to a press release sent out by Unalaska Mayor Shirley Marquardt on Wednesday afternoon. "Carl E. Moses was a true Alaskan success story and quite a character as well," the release states. "He was a statesman, businessman, fisherman, salesman, family man and husband. As a representative in the legislature, his unique ability to patiently wait until the 'time was right' was legendary, especially during the capital budget process." Moses was the longest-serving member of the state House of Representatives, according to the release. He passed away early Wednesday morning, former Unalaska mayor Frank Kelty said. Moses was 84. ?
Duck Dynasty stars coming to Alaska State Fair: Get ready, Alaska. The Alaska State Fair announced Wednesday that the stars of Duck Dynasty, the hit A&E channel show, will be hosting "An Evening with the Robertsons." That includes revered matriarch, Miss Kay, blue-cup-holding, story-telling Uncle Si and brothers Jep and Alan, as they "share insights into their family life, booming business and the filming of A&E's most-watched series." Also included is Phil, the "Duck Commander" himself, who weathered controversy last year after making homophobic remarks in an interview with GQ. The evening is scheduled for Aug. 30. Tickets go on sale May 2.
Warm, dry spring increases fire danger across Alaska: The Anchorage Fire Department has suspended all burn permits because of an increasing fire danger across the state's largest city. Covered gas, electric and charcoal barbecue grills and fish smokers are still allowed, but AFD said residents need to be aware of the current dry and warm conditions before doing anything that might start a fire. "It has been a number of years since Alaskans have seen this level of fire danger this early in the year," AFD Deputy Operations Chief James Vignola said in a press release. The Alaska Interagency Coordination Center, which tracks fires throughout the state, said that to date this year there have already been 35 fires that have burned a total of 31.1 acres. A red flag warning -- given when local fire dangers are at their highest -- has been issued for the Interior region of the state.
Elderly Kiana woman dies after truck backs into her: An 85-year-old Kiana woman has died after a truck backed into her, according to Alaska State Troopers. At 4:23 p.m. Tuesday, Kotzebue-based troopers got a report of the fatal accident involving a vehicle in the northwestern village of Kiana, home to about 400 people. An investigation found that Ruth Sandvik "was struck by a truck as it was backing up," according to a Wednesday trooper dispatch. The elderly woman was taken to the local medical clinic where she was declared deceased. The state medical examiner was notified and requested the body be sent to Anchorage for an autopsy. Sandvik's family has been notified. Troopers said alcohol was not a factor in the incident but it remains under investigation.
Anchorage shooting under investigation: Anchorage police are investigating an early morning shooting on an East Anchorage bike trail that left one man with a gunshot wound to the leg. At 12:46 a.m. Wednesday, police got several calls; the first caller reported a disturbance on the trail located between Edward Street and the Mayflower Trailer Court near Boniface Parkway, and the second caller reported hearing shots in the same area. Then, a female called police and reported her boyfriend had been shot while walking through the trailer court. Police reportedly arrived at the scene four minutes later and located the unidentified gunshot victim, who was taken to a local hospital with "non-life threatening injuries." Police found that "a female and male were walking through the trailer park and heard a disturbance going on at (a) nearby trail. They heard shots fired and vehicles leaving the area." The people who were walking discovered the male had been shot; they had no suspect information to provide to officers. Police say the incident remains under investigation and no one has been arrested or charged in connection to the shooting at this time.
Deceased motorcyclist identified: Anchorage police have identified the motorcyclist who died following a downtown traffic collision Tuesday. Twenty-seven-year-old Robert Firlan struck a van at the intersection of C Street and Eighth Avenue around 6 p.m. He was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police say Firlan's family has been notified of the fatal accident. The driver of the van was not seriously injured. The collision remains under investigation and no citations or charges have been issued at this time, but police are asking anyone who may have witnessed the collision or saw either involved vehicle before the crash to call them at 786-8900.
Wasilla men charged in drug bust: Two Wasilla men were charged with running a marijuana operation after a bust in the early morning hours Tuesday, according to Alaska State Troopers. Troopers reporting investigating a house in the Williaw subdivision at about 3:20 a.m. Tuesday where they allegedly found 43-year-old Cameron Holder and 35-year-old Ernest Stidman operating what they described as a "commercial marijuana grow operation." Troopers said that found more than one pound of the drug in its processed form, and more than 25 plants. During the course of the investigation they also turned up two stolen handguns, troopers said. Holder and Stidman were both charged with three counts of fourth-degree misconduct involving a controlled substance, and Holder was also charged with two counts of second-degree misconduct involving a weapon, trooper said. Both were taken to Mat-Su Pretrial Facility where they were held without bail.
Snowboarder recalls being caught in avalanche: An observer post Tuesday at the Chugach National Forest Avalanche Information Center was written by a snowboarder who said he was caught up in an avalanche one day earlier on Tincan Peak, located in Turnagain Pass on the Kenai Peninsula. The poster, identified only as "James," said that he was carried about 1,000 vertical feet down the mountain by the avalanche with his board still strapped to his feed. "Somehow I was on top when the debris stopped moving," he wrote, noting that both he and his backcountry partner were carrying avalanche beacons, probes, and shovels. "Like they always say, it feels like a rug is pulled out from under you and there is nothing you can do to escape it," he wrote. "I had not expected it to happen whatsoever and it took me a second to realize what was happening." He said that at one point, he dropped some distance off a cliff and was expecting to collide with some rocks along the way, but it never happened. One possible cause of the avalanche was recent snowfall at the top of the peak, he wrote, but it wasn't entirely clear what exactly caused the slide. "All in all, as any survivor of an avalanche ride will say, I am extremely lucky and grateful to be alive," he said. Read the full account and see photos of the slide, at the CNFAIC.
Ultra-high Fraser River sockeye forecast brings uncertainty: British Columbia's Fraser River, which had an average sockeye salmon run of 7 million from 1956 to 2010 could see numbers ten times that high this year, according to forecasts (though the forecast has an extremely wide range). Those higher-end numbers are causing a lot of anxiety in Alaska fisheries, according to seafood news site Undercurrent News. As Undercurrent notes, "If the run is anywhere near the high end of the projection, it will surpass the average return level in Bristol Bay between 1956 and 2010, which was 29 (million) fish." A run of that size with have complicated effects on the pricing of salmon throughout the industry, in part because of how unusual it is, in part because of timing, and in part because of the relative lack of processing facilities near the Fraser -- among other factors. And there's always a chance an unprecedentedly large run -- and the chaos it might bring -- will never materialize: "The Canadians are the worst projectors on the earth," an anonymous Alaska processing executive told Undercurrent.
A large Arctic parcel goes up for sale: Want to own a piece of the Arctic? A large swath -- 217 square kilometers (or a little more than 80 square miles) -- of an island in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard is up for sale. What's more, the land is estimated to hold more than 20 million tons of coal, reports Barents Observer. It's one of only two privately owned parcels in Svalbard, but the Norwegian government hasn't made an offer on it, reports the Observer. China, on the other hand, which has developed a strong interest in the Arctic, is rumored to be interested in buying it as a means to gain a foothold in the region, reports io9.